Injured Florida hiker rescued after slipping on ice near Benham Falls

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A hiker from Florida slipped on some ice near Benham Falls, was injured and called for help Sunday morning, bringing Deschutes County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue and other first responders to his aid, deputies said.

Dispatchers got a call around 9:50 a.m. from the injured 41-year-old man at Benham Falls Trailhead, said Deputy Kyle Joye, assistant SAR coordinator. The man had slipped on some ice near the edge of the Deschutes River and could not walk any further due to his injuries.

A Sheriff’s Search and Rescue K-9 unit was training in the area at the time and was notified by emergency pager, Joye said. The volunteers arrived within about 30 minutes of the call, along with a Sunriver police officer who hiked in from the east side of the river.

The volunteers began patient care and worked on extrication plans while five more volunteers and a Special Services deputy responded with rescue gear, the deputy said.

Once all the SAR volunteers were on scene, the man was loaded into a wheeled litter and brought a short distance up the river bank, then down a trail to a waiting Bend Fire Department ambulance, Joye said. He was taken to ST. Charles Bend for further medical treatment.

Joye said the sheriff’s office and SAR want to thank the Sunriver Fire Department and Bend Fire & Rescue for their assistance.